Policies

Registry of Ship Wrecks

WHEREAS Global News program 16 X 9 investigation of thousands of ship wreck data in Canadian Waters over the last century identified over 700 ships at risk of polluting;

WHEREAS many of these ship wrecks have leaked oil in the past and are in a high risk of leaking again due to excessive corrosion under the waters adjacent to Canadian coast lines;

WHEREAS the government of Canada has expended millions of dollars in recent years towards ship wreck remediation on vessels like the Brigadier General Zalinski on the BC coast, Sunken Tanker SS Arrow and Irving Whale off the Nova Scotia Coast;

WHEREAS a preliminary allocation of $6 million has been announced in budget 2016 for a RFP designed to identify clean-up plans for the M/V Manolis L of the coast of NL;

WHEREAS the USA has directed a targeted remediation of ship wrecks in American waters, which include those waters adjacent to Canada’s Great Lakes and coastal areas;

WHEREAS the coordinates and hull integrity of most of Canada’s 700 high risk ship wrecks are unknown or have serious inaccuracies and incomplete data;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal government of Canada immediately undertake a targeted effort to create a mandatory registry of ship wrecks in Canadian waters;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the registry of ship wrecks have its location ascertained with current GPS coordinates and undertake a program of navigational and environmental risk analysis to predetermine suitable remedial action plans, where necessary.